A customer in Denver swore his truck needed a full transmission rebuild

He brought his Ford F-150 to my shop last month, saying it was shifting rough and a different mechanic quoted him four thousand dollars for a new transmission. I put it on the lift and found the transfer case fluid was low and full of metal shavings, but the main transmission pan was clean. I told him I thought the problem was just the transfer case, which is a much cheaper fix. He got really mad and said I didn't know what I was talking about because the other guy had thirty years of experience. Has anyone else had a client fight you on a diagnosis that would save them a ton of money?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary_kelly5d agoTop Commenter

Did you end up fixing just the transfer case for him, or did he walk?

the_wyatt5d ago

Heard he walked after the estimate.

jamie7945d ago

Seen it a dozen times at my local shop. People get the real cost and suddenly decide they can live with the noise. It's a weird human habit to avoid fixing things until they fully break.